Families need more options for caring for aging loved ones
by Garrett Ballengee · The Washington TimesOPINION:
Anyone who has helped care for an aging parent knows how quickly things can become complicated. A doctor’s appointment here. A specialist visit there. Medication management. Physical therapy. Transportation. Before long, keeping track of everything feels like a second job.
An estimated one-fifth of the U.S. population lacks access to affordable medical care. In rural communities, that is even harder. Data shows rural Americans are older, sicker and poorer than their urban counterparts. This means a routine appointment can require a long drive. Seeing a specialist can be even harder to coordinate. Managing care can quickly become overwhelming, especially with higher rates of chronic health conditions.
The system is fragmented. We are too focused on treating chronic disease rather than preventing it in the first place, leading to avoidable hospitalizations and higher long-term costs for families and taxpayers alike.
That is where commonsense care models such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly come in. PACE has been helping Medicare- and Medicaid-eligible seniors stay independent for decades. It serves older adults who qualify for nursing-home-level care but want to continue living at home. PACE coordinates the care and services seniors need through a single team.
This cost-effective care model is guided by a simple goal: to help seniors better manage their health. Doing so helps older adults manage chronic conditions effectively, preventing health crises that result in high-cost hospital visits and ensuring seniors can stay in the communities they call home. As a result, the model can save states thousands of dollars per participant per year. This could translate into substantial savings in Medicare and Medicaid expenditures for my state of West Virginia and other states.
It also takes the strain off hardworking families who are struggling to support their loved ones. With PACE, families do not have to navigate a complicated system on their own. With support from the program, family caregivers can manage their normal routines, maintain full-time jobs and contribute to the broader economy.
Here is the problem: A mere 4% of eligible adults have access to the PACE program. That is in part because 17 states, including West Virginia, do not offer the program.
That is especially head-scratching when a neighboring state has already shown that the model works well in Appalachian areas. Kentucky, for example, has expanded access to PACE and demonstrated that coordinated care is not limited to large urban systems; it can also function effectively in smaller communities where transportation barriers and provider shortages are common.
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Seniors’ health can suffer when they miss a medical appointment because they cannot find a ride. Chronic conditions can become costly emergencies if they go untreated, and entire families feel the strain when seniors do not have the support they need. PACE was built to address those problems.
As we look to make America healthy again, programs that help manage the chronic disease epidemic while using resources more efficiently deserve serious consideration. We should be exploring tools that address health risks before they become expensive emergencies, help family caregivers return to work and enable seniors to age in place in their own homes and communities.
PACE is one such solution, and it is time for lawmakers to take a closer look.
• Garrett Ballengee is the president and CEO of the Cardinal Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Charleston, West Virginia.